Spring is here, & it’s GIVEAWAY time!!!

April 11, 2016 by 193 Comments

***giveaway now closed!***

And it’s bigger than my last Thanksgiving giveaway, too.  Ooooh, I’ve been waiting to be able to do this one!  Lets jump right into what you could win!  You could win ALL THE THINGS:

Let’s go into details, shall we?

What you’ll win:

Item #1: Frozen Lake Wool of the Andes Sport Sampler

  • 100% Peruvian Highland Wool
  • 2 full size balls each of 3 colors: Sapphire Heather, Midnight Heather, & Thirst Heather.
  • Total yardage: 822 (752 m)

Item #2: Llamarama Tall Mug

  • 14 oz (about 3/4 of a pint)
  • Porcelain
  • ADORABLE

Item #3: Llamarama Steel Pencil Case

  • 8″ long x 3″ wide x 2″ deep (20 cm long x 8 cm wide x 5 cm deep)
  • Can hold small tools, crochet hooks, etc.
  • Also ADORABLE

Item #4: Inspiring Mandalas Coloring Book

  • Mandalas in crochet are all the rage, but coloring is a great stress reliever, too!
  • 18 designs
  • printed on premium paper, & printed on one side only
  • Can use colored pencils, markers, gel pens, and other media

Item #5: Lullaby – Aloft Sampler

  • Lace weight
  • 75% Super Kid Mohair, 25% Silk
  • 1 full size ball each of colorways Pennyroyal, Blush, Oat, & Sky
  • Total yardage: 984 (900 m)

Item #6: Yarn Valet Yarn Bowl

  • Plastic, touted as “unbreakable”
  • 6.2″ wide, 3″ high (16 cm wide, 8 cm high)
  • Suction ring to keep things in place

Item #7: Love + Leche Anywhere Balm – Lavender Mint

  • .5 oz (15 g)
  • Solid lotion bar
  • All natural

Item #8: Locking Stitch Markers

  • 20 locking stitch markers (perfect for crocheters and knitters alike) with pouch
  • Will slide on needles up to US size H/8 (5.00 mm)

Item #9: Pansy Posie Swish DK Sampler

  • 100% Superwash Merino Wool
  • 2 full size balls each of 3 colors: Sugar Plum, Amethyst Heather, & Eggplant
  • Total yardage: 738 (675 m)

So, to recap, that’s the Frozen Lake Wool of the Andes Sport Sampler (6 balls), an adorable Llamarama Tall Mug, an equally cute Llamarama Steel Pencil Case, the Inspiring Mandalas Coloring Book, the Lullaby – Aloft Sampler (4 balls), a Yarn Valet Yarn Bowl, a tin of Love + Leche Anywhere Balm – Lavender Mint, a pack of Locking Stitch Markers, & finally, the Pansy Posie Swish DK Sampler (6 balls).  That’s a lot of stuff!

The retail price would be $118.69, but you have the chance to win it all for free!

How to win:

First off, anyone can win, anywhere in the world.  I’ll ship it wherever you are!

The giveaway starts when this post goes live (Monday, April 11, 2016), and will go through Sunday, April 24, 2016, ending at 6:00 pm EST.  At that time the winner will be drawn randomly and notified via e-mail, with 24 hours to respond.  If the winner doesn’t respond by Monday, April 25, 2016 at 6:00 pm EST, I will draw another winner, who will then have 24 hours, etc.  The winner will be announced here on Not Your Average Crochet as soon as they have responded to me via email with their shipping address.

To enter, here’s what to do:

  1. Follow Not Your Average Crochet (via WordPress, Bloglovin’, or e-mail).
  2. Earn entries (you must do at least 1 but can earn multiple entries if you do more of the following) by:
    • re-blogging this post
    • sharing this post on your personal Facebook page
    • sharing this post on a crochet group page on Facebook (not counting the Not Your Average Crochet Facebook page)
    • sharing this post on Pinterest
    • sharing this post on Twitter
    • sharing this post on Instagram
    • sharing this post on knitting/crochet forums
    • sharing this post on any other social media platforms you’re on
  3. Leave a comment on this post including the following information: how you follow this blog, of the options above, & the links to each of your entries.

Remember, if all three steps have not been completed, you will not be entered!

Also, please keep in mind that if you are a new commenter on my blog I will have to verify your comment before it will appear below, but you are entered once you submit your comment, so there is no need to comment twice!  🙂

Good luck everyone, and happy Spring!

-Hannah

***giveaway now closed!***

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Christmas goodies!

December 28, 2015 by 7 Comments

Did you get any crochet or knitting goodies for Christmas?

My awesome mother-in-law got me some really cool stitch markers from Miss Babs:

IMG_5023

And my mom got me some Knitter’s Pride Karbonz 6″ DPNs in US sizes 4, 5, & 6:

IMG_5028

I’m really excited to try everything with the yarn that I bought online in these post-Christmas sales!  Have you ever tried the Karbonz needles?  I’ve heard such good things about them — they seem to be some of the best available by what I’ve heard!

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stitch markers: what’s your preference?

September 30, 2015 by 5 Comments

The other day a little package came in the mail with some new stitch markers (in small and large sizes) and little tins from Fripperies & Bibelots:

stitch markers

As you can see I got hearts, squares, and raindrop shaped markers, which I was concerned about when ordering — what if they weren’t practical, just cute?  Fortunately they are very practical, and here’s why:

  • They’re extremely lightweight
  • The small sizes are not bulky when on small needles
  • You can mix and match shapes to indicate the beginning of a row, etc.
  • The metal is sturdy but thin, so they lie flat against the needles (allowing for more ladder-free knitting, if that makes sense)
  • They’re inexpensive
  • They’re snag-free

I may be thinking too much about it but what do you look for in stitch markers?  Did I miss any qualities that I should be looking out for?

That’s all for now, see you soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

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themed yarn & projects

December 22, 2013 by 8 Comments

A few other lovely bloggers have posted lately about getting color inspiration for their yarn colorways/combos from books and movies.  There have been a few projects of mine that have patterns based on books/movies (check out my Hermione hat from Harry Potter, my Harry Potter scarves, and my Luna Lovegood scarf, also from Harry Potter; can you tell I love Harry Potter?), but I don’t think I’ve ever bought yarn in a book/movie inspired colorway before.  Until now, that is.  Check out these beautiful Hunger Games themed yarns from Etsy:

District 12 2-Ply Sock Yarn from BrazenStitchery

District 12 2-Ply Sock Yarn from BrazenStitchery

Effie Trinket Nymph Sock Yarn from supernaturalyarns

Effie Trinket Nymph Sock Yarn from supernaturalyarns

I bought both of these very different colorways and am planning on making a reversible hat with them (probably with this knitting pattern from Purl Soho).  It will represent two very different characters in the Hunger Games trilogy (Katniss and Effie) that come from opposing worlds but who are both good people in the end.  To me it symbolizes cooperation, peace, and the triumph of good, etc., etc…

If you haven’t read the Hunger Games books, I highly recommend them.  They get a little bit teenage-girl-y occasionally but definitely NOT in a Twilight saga kind of way.  The story in the Hunger Games books is about a young girl who is strong in the face of overwhelming danger and misery, and about the horrors of war and fighting for what’s right.  It’s dark and horrifying and moving and inspiring all at the same time.  I also really like the movies based on the first two books (the third one comes out next year, I believe), although they seem to downplay the horror/violence and over-stress the romance parts a bit, sort of diluting the general message a bit in my opinion; if you really want the full message, go for the books!  These would probably be good books/movies to allow your teenage kids to read and then discuss with them afterwards.  I say teenage kids because the third book is super-extra twisted (as if the first two aren’t twisted enough), and I’m not sure I’d want my young kids to read that one, if I had any kids.

So anyway, what do you think of the yarn combo above?  Have you ever made projects inspired by books/movies or bought/dyed yarn that has been inspired by them?  If so, what?  I think it’s a really cool concept and makes projects just a little more meaningful when they are attached to stories you enjoy.

I also bought these beautiful stitch markers on Etsy from the writer of the blog ruth plus two:

Glass/bead stitch markers

Glass/bead stitch markers

Well, that’s all for now, I guess.  I’m making some fingerless mitts for a coworker but I’ll share them when I’m finished — it shouldn’t be long.  Thank you so much for stopping by, and happy holidays to you all!  If you are traveling, please stay safe!

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